


Phil Coulson's Earring Hole

by AdamantSteve



Series: Minifics [10]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 18:46:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1110277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdamantSteve/pseuds/AdamantSteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Clark Gregg's ear. Seriously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Phil Coulson's Earring Hole

 

When Clint sees it, _really_ sees it, he can’t believe he’s never properly noticed it before. There’s a tiny dimple in Phil’s left ear. It looks exactly like a piercing hole, and he’s so scandalised, so utterly floored at this tiny thing that goes against everything he thought he knew of serious, quietly badass Phil Coulson that he has to shake his head and ask him to repeat himself, which he hates having to do because it makes the man huff under his breath every time he does it. 

Once he’s noticed it, he can’t stop looking at it, eyes drifting to that tiny pucker, that probably-maybe-no-surely-not hole in his ear, sitting there like it doesn’t go against everything else he knows about the man. Is it an old piercing, closed up now? Is it a hole at all? It could be something else, maybe a scar. But no, it’s not, it can’t be, it’s too much of a coincidence for it to be a scar, not there, not in that exact position. 

Maybe Coulson has a whole collection of earrings, studs and rings and those gross dangly Ringo Starr ones. Maybe he wears them when he goes on dates. And Clint’s not sure he’s ever thought of Phil Coulson in the context of going on a date before; fucking, sure, he can imagine that just fine, even being married and doing the whole domestic thing Clint pretends to think is boring as hell. But dating? Or, fuck, clubbing? Coulson dancing? Coulson in a bar? Coulson flirting? A shiny stud catching in neon lights as he laughs and flirts and smiles? Who the FUCK is this guy?

"Why do you keep looking at my ear?" He asks Clint eventually, doing that thing where he looks like he’s deep in concentration under a haystack of paperwork when he’s actually, like, reading the book Clint’s holding in his hands or something equally impossible. 

"I’m not," Clint lies. 

Coulson doesn’t even look up, doesn’t have to. “I did it myself when I was fourteen and I thought it would look cool.”

Clint can’t speak for a second, because that’s something _he_ did when _he_ was a dumb little kid, and it hurt like hell and he couldn’t even get the pin all the way through, and what? What? Coulson was the sort of kid that had an earring? That pierced his own fucking ear?! 

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Clint replies, face sliding into a grin he’s not sure he has complete control over once Phil looks up at him, the mask of stern disapproval slightly slipped out of place, the barest shade of amusement on his lips at having so shocked Clint Barton. He looks like he’s going to say something else for a second, but stops himself, takes a sip of coffee that Clint’s pretty sure has gone cold by now, and gets back to work.

Clint keeps looking at that tiny hole and wonders what other secrets there are to learn about Agent Philip Coulson. Wonders if he’ll get to see them, too.


End file.
